How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 35 severe incidents involving ski lifts and gondolas over the past decade. These events frequently result in fractures, which represent 50 percent of all reported injury types, often leading to long-term physical impairment.
The severity of these accidents is underscored by the high frequency of amputations and internal injuries. You may suffer damage to fingers, requiring extensive medical intervention and prolonged recovery periods.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries involving ski lifts and gondolas are most commonly caused by falls to lower levels, which account for 36 percent of all reported incidents. You are also frequently caught or entangled in running powered equipment during normal operations, or struck by moving chairs and cables while performing routine maintenance or clearing snow from lift infrastructure.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 12 |
| 2 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 6 |
| 3 | Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment | 2 |
| 4 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 2 |
| 5 | Struck by running powered equipment— during maintenance, cleaning, testing | 1 |
| 6 | Fall to lower level resulting from exposure or contact | 1 |
| 7 | Entangled in non-running object | 1 |
| 8 | Struck against stationary object | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
The arts and entertainment industry accounts for 83 percent of all reported ski lift and gondola injuries. This high concentration reflects the risks of operating and maintaining complex passenger transport systems in resort environments where equipment failure or improper safety protocols can lead to catastrophic outcomes.
Real cases like yours
Reports from the field show a recurring pattern of you being struck by moving chairs or becoming entangled in pulley systems while performing routine maintenance or clearing snow. These incidents often occur when safety harnesses fail or when equipment is not properly locked out during service. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ID | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee had just completed routine work on a gondola tower. The employee's harness was hooked to the tower and when the work cabin pulled away, he swung back toward the tower, the clasp broke, and he fell about 74 feet. He suffered a broken right hip, five broken ribs, three broken vertebrae, and a laceration on the back of his head. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | CO | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was preparing a mini-carpet lift for the day and brushing snow off of it when it caught his hand and pulled his arm into a roller. The employee sustained multiple fractures to the right arm and was hospitalized. " | |
| 2025 | NY | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was attempting to clear snow off a "willy bag" (a safety bag to put under unseated passengers for the lift) when he was struck by a moving chair. The employee sustained multiple fractured ribs and a pneumothorax." | |
| 2024 | OH | Health Care | "An employee was teaching children how to use a zip line at a city playground. As the employee began to zip along the line, the clip disconnected. The employee fell to the ground and sustained a broken right femur." | |
| 2024 | NH | Other Services | "An employee was conducting basic level 1 trail maintenance with a crew. The injured employee was operating a manual cable car intended to assist trail users in safely crossing a brook. His right hand became caught between the pulley system and cable where the car pulley sits and travels along. The employee sustained a crush injury, resulting in a partial fingertip amputation to the index finger." | |
| 2024 | FL | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was zip-lining between two elevated platforms when he fell approximately 17 feet to the tile floor below. The employee suffered fractures to their skull and knee and was hospitalized." | |
| 2024 | WV | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was completing a walk-around inspection of a ski lift. A lift chair struck the employee and knocked them from the platform to the ground. The employee suffered a broken kneecap and was hospitalized, requiring surgery." | |
| 2021 | MT | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was riding a ski lift to the top of the slope. The employee fell while exiting the lift and sustained broken ribs and loss of oxygen." | |
| 2021 | NY | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was in a ski lift loading area. She was holding two bags. One of the bag handles broke, and as she reached down to grab the bag, her left knee twisted and the lift chair hit her buttock. She suffered a fracture to the upper part of the left tibia, at the knee." | |
| 2021 | NY | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was entering the motor room vault at the top of a ski lift. The employee became entangled in conveyor equipment that transported riders to the snow-tubing lanes. The employee suffered multiple fractures to the face and left arm." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.